PrecisionHawk launches free software for drone mapping

Commercial drone and data company PrecisionHawk has opened access to its PrecisionMapper professional mapping and analytics software for free.

With the software, drone operators can snap an unlimited number of photos, create maps without resolution limits, and run algorithms to analyze their data.

PrecisionHawk announced the launch of the free version of PrecisionMapper today at the AUVSI’s Xponential 2017 conference in Dallas, Texas.

Drone operators can use PrecisionMapper to generate aerial data using their own drones.

“Drones have the potential to capture more high-resolution data than any other technology, but we believe that drones are being under-utilized because of the cost barriers around processing, analytics and storage,” said PrecisionHawk CEO Michael Chasen. “Users should be able to walk into any store, buy a drone and use that drone to generate business insights for free.”

“We believe that this move allows more innovation from more people,” Chasen continued. “PrecisionHawk has gained a lot from the advanced thinking of this community, and this is our way of giving back.”

By providing this software for free, PrecisionHawk is giving operators of drones with visual cameras the capability to explore the financial value of aerial data in any industry and is encouraging further use and adoption of drone technology.

Operators can quickly and easily upload imagery collected from a drone to PrecisionMapper. Using GPS information embedded within images, the software automatically stitches together a complete map, viewable in both 2D and 3D. Free users of PrecisionMapper can create up to 60 surveys a year without resolution or export limits.

In addition, users can add ground control points and access free analysis tools for construction, agriculture, insurance, and energy including:

• volume calculations
• 3D models
• contour maps
• multiple crop health indices, including visual-NDVI

“When professionals have the opportunity to get hands-on experience with PrecisionMapper, they will be able to better understand the power of aerial data and how it can be best incorporated into their existing businesses,” Chasen said.